On September 30, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CN), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) announced the introduction of the “Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act.” The bill would expand the use of FEMA assistance and ensure that individuals can access the aid for which they are eligible, even when they do not have updated title documentation for homes damaged by disasters. The bill is companion to a piece of legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and sponsored by Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-NY).
The Senate bill addresses the barriers to assistance experienced by many low-income disaster survivors without titles to their homes. Since at least 1995, FEMA’s title requirement has barred many of the lowest-income survivors – including owners of mobile homes and other low-income homeowners who may not possess updated title documentation – from receiving the assistance for which they are eligible. While FEMA made substantive reforms last year focused on this issue, the new bill would go even further in ensuring that all disaster survivors receive the assistance they need to fully recover.
The bill contains numerous priorities of the NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC), including:
- Allowing for disaster relief funds to be used for the acquisition of a property title in regions where a natural disaster is declared by the president.
- Requiring FEMA to consider additional forms of evidence when determining assistance eligibility, including a utility bill, merchant statement, pay stub, current driver’s license or state-issued ID, property title or mobile home certificate of title, property tax receipt, school registration, a will and testament, a death certificate that established automatic transfer of ownership, medical records, a charitable donation receipt, or any other documentation, certification, identification, or proof of occupancy or ownership not included in this list that can reasonably link the individual requesting assistance to the applicable property.
- Requiring FEMA to create a declarative statement form, which would allow a disaster relief applicant to self-certify eligibility for assistance.
- Allowing individuals who have previously been denied assistance due to restrictive proof-of-ownership requirements to reopen cases and use new, expanded documentation to become eligible for assistance. (This provision applies to disasters declared after January 1, 2017.)
- Allowing disaster relief funds to be used for repairs, not just rebuilding homes that have been rendered completely uninhabitable.
- Requiring FEMA and HUD to engage in consultations regarding the implementation of a Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP), or a similar joint program, within 60 days of a disaster declaration.
“We’ve witnessed the devastating impact that catastrophic natural disasters have on families, leaving many in search of safe, stable, and affordable housing,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren in a press statement accompanying the introduction of the bill. “The Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act would push the federal government to step up for these families and make it easier for them to access help in times of need.”
“Disasters are increasing in frequency and severity, just as inequality and our nation’s housing crisis grows,” said NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel in the statement. “The lowest-income people and communities are consistently the hardest hit by disasters – without focused action, they are often left behind in recovery and rebuilding. Senator Warren and Congressman Espaillat’s important legislation would begin to address the legacy of a failed response to Hurricane Maria, activate needed and proven housing solutions, and authorize reforms to help ensure that the lowest-income and most marginalized survivors of all disasters receive the housing assistance they need to rebuild their lives. NLIHC and our Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition urge Congress to quickly advance this bill.”
Read the text of the bill at: https://bit.ly/3dVJxwR
Read the press statement announcing the introduction of the bill at: https://bit.ly/3y5d3a6